e-News Sign Up

Become a Member

UPCOMING EVENTS

Congressional Hearing Examines Health of Florida National Parks

PRESS RELEASE

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Date:

January 10, 2006

Contact:

Jason Bennis, NPCA, cell: 954-309-9308

Congressional Hearing Examines Health of Florida National Parks

Miami - At a congressional field hearing today at City Hall, the nonpartisan National Parks Conservation Association (NPCA) expressed frustration about the critical funding needs of national parks in Florida. The hearing, hosted by Government Reform, Criminal Justice Subcommittee Chairman Mark Souder (R-IN), and Rep. Ileana Ros-Lehtinen (R-18-FL), was the eighth in a series of congressional hearings to examine the funding needs of America’s national parks.

“Frankly, I am frustrated by the lack of congressional oversight and a lack of consistent funding to deal with all of the problems facing Florida’s national parks,” said NPCA National Council Member Nathaniel Reed, who was assistant secretary of the Department of the Interior in the Nixon and Ford administrations.

In its written testimony, NPCA raised concern about the funding shortages at Biscayne National Park and Florida Bay in Everglades National Park, and advocated for greater federal investment in the restoration of the Everglades and for funding to address hurricane damage to parks in the Gulf region, which is estimated to total $67 million.

Last week, NPCA released a comprehensive assessment of the health of Florida Bay. NPCA’s State of the Parks report revealed that a shortage of law enforcement staff and public education funding was hampering the National Park Service’s ability to stop careless boaters from running aground and ripping up the fragile seagrasses in Florida Bay.

NPCA called on Congress and the administration to increase the parks’ annual operations budget and pass the National Park Centennial Act. According to NPCA’s 2005 report,

These congressional hearings are the first focused effort by Congress in decades to examine national park funding needs in-depth, and to identify solutions to meet the challenges. Information gathered during the hearings is being used by Rep. Souder to establish a comprehensive record of the needs of the nation’s parks. Chairman Souder held prior hearings in several cities including Seattle, Wash.; Phoenix, Ariz.; San Francisco, Calif.; Gettysburg, Penn., and Washington, D.C.

# # #

Want to learn more about the ?

The can be seen in the wild in America’s national parks. Why not join the National Parks Conservation Association community to protect and preserve our national parks?

Sign up to protect parks in & other states

Why not join the National Parks Conservation Association Community to protect and preserve our national parks?

Sign up to protect and other National Parks

Why not join the National Parks Conservation Association Community to protect and preserve our national parks?

Please leave this field empty

Yes, please sign me up for NPCA’s newsletter and other emails about protecting our national parks!